YOU AT YOUR BEST. STYLE WISE.

Double-duty Beauty: Cut Clutter With Products That Go The Distance

September 14, 1997|By Lisa Skolnik. Special to the Tribune.

It's hard to resist the lure of new beauty products, but it's equally hard to find what you want in cluttered cabinets and drawers. Most of us own dozens of things we don't need or use, but don't know how to pare them down.

To make a fresh start this fall, we asked experts what products can free up some storage space by doing double duty.

Eye shadow: Dark earthy tones are a multi-purpose beauty basic. Makeup artist Bobbi Brown, author of "Bobbi Brown Beauty" (HarperCollins, $30) uses Rich Brown Eye Shadow ($17) from her eponymous line as shadow, brow-filler (applied with a hard-edged brush or cotton swab) and eye liner (she dampens it with a thin brush) because "it's softer and more natural than eye and brow pencils," she says.

Trish McEvoy, a makeup artist who also has her own line, has devised a compact (Eye Essentials 1, $35) with a taupe shadow and three triple-pigmented shadows (black, brown and charcoal) that can be used in the same way, and a special flat brush (No. 11, $18) that aids application as a liner or a brow filler. Chicago makeup artist Marcus Geeter suggests using shadows from a theatrical line such as Ben Nye (shadows are sold at Broadway Costume, 954 W. Washington Blvd., 312-829-6400, for $5 each) because they are long-lasting and budget-priced.

Mascara: "Old mascara tubes that have dried out a bit are great for thickening eyebrows and holding them in place," says Geeter. Deborah Chase, author of "The New Medically Based No-Nonsense Beauty Book" (Henry Holt, $19.95), says mascara can also be used to touch up gray roots in a pinch.

Pencils: Although some (such as Trish McEvoy Essential Pencils for Lips and Cheeks, $18 each, or Body Shop Complete Colour Sticks, $10 each) are formulated for use on eyes and lips, most are not interchangeable because of color and the ingredients they may contain, says Brown. "Red anywhere near your eyes will make you look tired," she explains, "and some of the ingredients in lip pencils can irritate eyes." But some pencils now contain eye liner and lip liner on either end (H20+ Duo Pencil, $6) or are formulated for two functions (Clinique's Chubby Stick, $12.50, is a lip color and liner in one). Geeter uses soft lip pencils as lipstick by lining, filling in lips and then topping with lip balm, and buys most of his pencils at drug stores because their quality is good, they are bigger and they are cheaper than department store brands, he maintains.

Lipstick: "Using lipstick on your cheeks is not that original," says Brown, "but effective in a pinch." Especially since the one makeup rule that still applies is that lipstick and blush should be in the same color family (either orange, red or pink), she points out.

Foundation: Cream-to-powder bases are relatively new and eliminate the need for a complete trio of base, powder and concealer, says McEvoy, who makes a Cream Powder Make Up compact ($40). "You can apply it lightly or heavily, use it as an eye shadow base and concealer (but go one shade lighter for this application), or even use it with a damp sponge for sheer coverage," says Geeter, whose favorite is the oil-free SPF 15 Revlon New Complexion One-Step Makeup ($10). Brown has a Foundation Stick ($35), that can also be used as a concealer to cover blemishes and dark circles (she also recommends going one shade lighter).

Concealer: Since it should be one shade lighter than foundation, it still pays to keep concealer around. But it can also be used as an eye-shadow base or as a lip-line sealer to prevent feathering, says Geeter. Apply a bit on your lips and blend well, he says.

Hair conditioner: "Instead of shaving cream, use hair conditioner since it works the same way," says New York-based hair stylist Mitch Barry. It causes hair to absorb moisture, which makes it soft, thick and easier to shave, he explains. Plus, it comes in tiny bottles that are perfect for travel, he points out.